younggrasshper Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 I just signed up last night to the boards and spent 12 hours reading everything i could find on the internet about making soap. Spent 4 hours searching for Lye this afternoon and started about 9pm trying to make my 1st batch. I think my house is TOXIC now! I'm pretty sure that my pan was aluminum and it now has holes in it and i have fat and lye IN and ON my stove! I'm so depressed because I was so excited and failed.......I had NO clue that my pan wouldnt work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vec Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 it's ok, grasshopper, breathe....it's not the end of the world. *back pats*not all of us succeed the first time....i'm sure there have been many who didn't get it right after many tries. i'm one of the newbs myself so i may not be capable of helping you as much as some of the vets in here....but i can give you plenty of moral support. i'm not up on all the acronyms yet, so at the moment i have no earthly idea what DHHP is. the only experience i have is with CP. i don't use anything metal....it's too darned expensive for me...and well, i'll admit, i'm always broke. i think i spent around or less than $150 for all my equipment, molds and ingredients to get started . i bought an inexpensive digital scale ($20), 5 qt. crockpot ($20), plastic freezer containers for measuring & storage ($1-2 for sets of 3) hand mixer (also $20), splurged on a high temp spatula (whoopie) and remanent pvc for molds....i have also used old castaway cardboard boxes lined with freezer paper for molds...not really much need for expensive molds if you use your imagination (go ahead, call me cheap, i know i am...lol....and proud of it). one of my professors from college once told our class that with one oune of imagination we could create tons of originality. after bearing with my ramling, my advice to you would to be to stay away from metal anything (except cutters and shredders) whenever possible. don't be too hard on yourself when you flub up (everyone does), and take your time. soapmaking can be a very rewarding hobbie/craft/profession....but, when you make it too much work, you won't get any pleasure from it. if you feel stressed out about a project, take a break.why not give CP a try...it's slow paced and quite easy. there's even a soap calculator here that i have used religiously to create my own recipies. all you really need to know is the difference between soft & hard oils, the maximum or suggested percentage of oils, butters, fragrance, dyes & additives. i learned most of this just by reading in the archives and doing online research.and, as i've advised another recently, when in doubt or uncertainty, come to the board and ask....you'll get plenty of advice and help here. ROCK ON!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggrasshper Posted December 6, 2005 Author Share Posted December 6, 2005 thank you! I've switched to the crock pot now lol and since its a little one....I've done 2 small batches. They don't look quite right but I think its because I bought the CHEAPEST stuff I could find to try it out just to see if I like it. I can really see myself getting into it....but I'm kinda an obsessive type, Jump head first into something and work myself to death with it lol. But I love to stay busy and as long as the old saying goes...Practice makes perfect...I'm going to keep trying. My husband is even excited about trying it but he's been at work since I started trying. PS I'm still trying to air out my apt! I cant believe what happened with that pan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 Direct Heat Hot Process (right?)Poor thing. What a mess that must have been. I can imagine your pain!! OY.I do use stainless steel pots quite often and they work beautifully. I also mix in 10 gallon buckets that I picked up from the dollar store. They had 1 gallon. They work great. I hope your next batch is better. Crockpot is an alternative - just watch out for volcanos. :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggrasshper Posted December 6, 2005 Author Share Posted December 6, 2005 Direct Heat Hot Process was what I thought I was doing anyway! LOL My pot had something else in mind....but my 2 little batches I tried in my crock pot turned out fine, but the second one didn't quite fit the mold and is really small now--3 inches wide by not quite 2 inches high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBrat Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 just watch out for volcanos What happens there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 What happens there?I was just referring to the overflow stage. LOL. Crockpot soap was never my forte. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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